Fury of the Elements
by The JP
Summary: Based on Staria 007's story "HP Curse of the Elemental". Harry Potter and five other Hogwarts students must master a new form of magic to take down Voldemort and his new ally Noxus, Lord of Shadows. Slight gender bender. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**I waited to post this until I got permission from Staria 007 to use her basic premise and storyline from her story **_**Curse of the Elemental**_**, while deviating in the beginning and even further in the middle. The basic premise is the same (yes, it's still a gender-bender), but there are going to be very… noticeable changes, NO DEMONS being the main one, and another one being a slight cross-over with FFXII (don't cringe, it's better than it sounds). Anyways, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Happy? Good.**

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It was quiet on Privet Drive. Dusk had already fallen, the birds were chirping, and all was peaceful… or so it seemed. In the Dursley household, trouble was brewing.

"You insolent, arrogant boy! Get off your bloody ass and do your chores!" Vernon Dursley's loud voice pierced the veil of silence that had fallen over the neighborhood. Another voice appeared to counter the overweight, tomato-faced man.

"There are more chores on this list than all the chores Dudley has ever done combined! Give me one good reason why I should do them!" Harry Potter fired back at his cruel, abusive uncle. The man discriminated against Harry because Harry was a wizard, and Vernon was deathly afraid of anything magical.

"If you don't do every last one of those chores before the end of the night, you're not seeing anything other than the inside of the cupboard!" Vernon fired back.

"I have had enough of you stupid Muggles! I'm leaving, and never coming back!" Before Vernon could move to block him, Harry had already dashed out the front door. He ran for nearly half an hour before realizing that he had lost his way in a forest. Looking around in the dark of the night, all he saw was an endless canopy of trees.

"Great, now I'm lost in the woods… bloody hell I forgot my wand back at the Dursley's! Brilliant!" Harry grumbled, walking off in the opposite direction from where he had been running. He kicked every loose stone that he saw across his path. "Stupid Dursley's… stupid Uncle Vernon… Stupid Dudley, fat pig… stupid Aunt Petunia, old bitch…" Harry came across a larger stone, which he promptly kicked into the bushes.

He heard the stone impact something, but this 'something' wasn't a tree; the sound wasn't the same. A loud cry pierced the forest canopy. "That hurt! What is the meaning of this?!" It was a woman's voice, and she was genuinely angry.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" Harry couldn't finish his sentence. He was knocked backwards by a blinding light, and blacked out.

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Harry's eyes opened slowly to the continued darkness. He'd been out for three hours, and he felt… different.

"So, the rude one who can't help but kick stones at old women awakes. I was fully within my rights to curse you, and curse you I did!" A woman's voice rang out through the air. Harry recognized the voice as being the same one that had come from the bush before he'd been knocked back by the light.

_That's strange,_ Harry thought. _For some strange reason, my shirt feels tight and my pants feel loose…_

"But ma'am, I said I was sorry, and that I didn't mean to hit…" _Huh?_ Harry thought, confused. _Something's not right._ "Why does my voice sound like a girl's?" The old woman merely chuckled. Harry looked over at her; she was pointing her finger down to the ground. Harry looked down… and panicked.

He saw two bumps on his chest where there had been none before. His arms and legs were thinner and lankier than before, and his body was nothing like he'd remembered it. He checked himself over very quick, breathing faster and faster by the second.

"This… this can't be happening… I'M A GIRL!" Harry yelled out in a panic, still startled by the girl's voice leaving his mouth.

"Damn right you are," the old woman yelled at the now female Harry. "That is your punishment for deliberately harming and angering a Water Lord. You should count yourself lucky; if I had been a Fire Lord you would be nothing more than a glowing pile of ashes right now."

"But I never meant to hit anybody with the rocks! I was just frustrated, and letting out some anger; I had no idea that anybody else was here!" Harry said, true regret crossing his/her face.

"You're telling the truth," the old woman stated, a hint of concern and worry in her voice. Her face seemed to say 'this was the worst mistake I've ever made', and hints of regret were flashing through her eyes. "I am afraid that the curse I cast upon you is permanent, and that you will carry it for the rest of your days." Upon hearing this, Harry looked crestfallen. "However," the old woman continued, "I believe I can make your curse temporary."

"Temporary?" Harry asked. "What do you mean? I thought you said a moment ago that the curse is permanent? How can a curse be permanent _and_ temporary?"

"I did," the old woman replied. "However, I can make it so that the curse can be temporarily reversed and reactivated, through contact with water. However, I must look through your memories, to see if you deserve this, and one other honor." Harry had no more warning before the old woman entered the young teen's mind, flipping through all of his/her memories in less than ten seconds.

"Very well," she said, "I believe you are also worthy of becoming a human Elemental, Mister Potter. My name is Lakeshore, and I shall be your mentor in this process."

"A human Elemental?" Harry asked. "What's that?"

"An Elemental is a being with the ability to control a specific element of nature, depending on what type of Elemental they are. I believe this will help you in your fight against Tom Marvolo Riddle, so as a Water Lord, I shall train you as a Water Elemental. However, you will only be able to access the majority of your powers in your cursed form, or female form. Now, I suggest you go and retrieve your personal belongings from your home, and then go to Diagon Alley to stock up on supplies." Lakeshore waved her hand, and Harry started glowing. When the glow faded, Harry had returned to being male.

"One more thing: you are also now capable of teleportation. This is not Apparition, because you will be able to bypass all wards against Apparition with this ability. Just think of where you want to go, and you shall be there."

Harry nodded, closed his eyes, and disappeared. _I feel that the child will learn how to master his Elemental powers very quickly,_ Lakeshore thought to herself._ I wonder what the other Elemental Lords are doing?_

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When Harry opened his eyes, he was back in the Dursley's home at Privet Drive. _Bloody hell, it really worked!_ He quickly gathered up all of his belongings, shrunk them, and placed them in his pocket. He wrote a quick note to Dumbledore telling the Headmaster that Harry had run away from the Dursleys, tied the note to Hedwig's leg, and then sent her off with the additional command to go to the Burrow once she delivered the message.

_And now off to Diagon… Alley. I shouldn't have sent the letter off yet; now Dumbledore will be on the lookout for me if I go there. Unless… Oh hell, I hoped I wouldn't have to do this. _

Harry walked into the bathroom, recalling that water would trigger the change. He turned the faucet, and waited for the water to become hot. He placed his hands under the water, and a brief surge of what felt like electricity passed through Harry. When he looked down, Harry was no longer a he, but a she.

_Great… as a girl, I have a body that any boy would start drooling over, myself included. Fate sure has a funny way of doing things,_ the now female Harry thought to herself. She looked in the mirror to ascertain the full measure of differences in her appearance. Her face had taken on feminine features that made her look much like the photographs she had seen of her mother Lily, and her raven hair had instantaneously grown down to her shoulders. Her bangs were much longer, and easily hid the lightning bolt scar, which faded to a barely visible white from when she was in her male form, where it looked slightly fresh.

_Perfect, nobody will recognize me like this… well, off to Diagon Alley._ Harry closed her eyes, concentrated on Diagon Alley, and vanished.

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Voldemort was sitting in his chambers, quietly mulling over how he would kill the miserable Potter boy, the Mudblood Granger, and the Weasley blood traitor that called themselves Potter's companions. He could always use the killing curse, but he was slightly afraid of a repeat of what had happened fourteen years ago.

Lord Voldemort's concentration was broken because he sensed an unfamiliar presence. He could tell whoever was hiding in his lair was adept at masking their power, because there was barely enough magic seeping from the being for Voldemort to register it. He tightened his grip on his wand, and turned around, pointing his wand at the figure in the corner. _"Avada Kedavra!"_

Voldemort's green bolt never reached its target. Instead, the shadows on the floor of his lair seemed to reach up, form a small orb around the killing curse's bolt, and sink back into the floor. "Identify yourself!" Voldemort called out into the darkness. Immediately, a form materialized from the dark shadows. He was wearing pitch-black clothing, and appeared very much like a gentleman, if one could ignore the fact that his eyes were deepest black.

"You are strong, Tom Marvolo Riddle, to have detected my presence. However, you have much to learn and much to prove before I even consider choosing you as my disciple."

"How dare you speak to the Dark Lord with such insolence!" Voldemort cried out. As soon as he finished saying this, the shadows at his feet wrapped themselves around his ankles, and also reached up to secure his arms.

"Now Tom Riddle, is that any way to treat an Elemental Lord?" Voldemort's eyes widened at this. He had believed the Elemental Lords to merely be a fairy tale, told to explain how the elements came into being. "I am Noxus, Elemental Lord of Shadows. I will be watching you intently, Tom Marvolo Riddle." Noxus tipped his hat, releasing the shadows holding Voldemort. "_Umbra_." Upon uttering this, Noxus vanished into the shadows on the floor, leaving Voldemort to contemplate the words the Elemental Lord had uttered. Could he have finally found a way to defeat Potter?

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Harry appeared in the forest, right by the lake where Lakeshore had first cursed him, and agreed to train him as a Water Elemental. He set down the new backpack that he had just bought at Diagon Alley, and touched his wand to the zipper. "Tent!" The backpack immediately unfolded into a wizard's tent, which he promptly entered and returned himself to his normal, male form. When he exited the tent, Lakeshore was waiting for him. She splashed him with water, reverting Harry to female form.

"You would do well to get used to that form, seeing as how it will be the one you use when practicing with your Elemental abilities. Also, I suggest you take up an alternate name for whenever you take female form. May I suggest Claire Lakeshore?" Harry smiled, and decided to accept this new name. Now, whenever Harry was female, Harry would be Claire.

"I'm glad you approve. Now, get some sleep. When you wake up, your Elemental Familiar should be waiting there for you. It is an Elemental Guardian that is tied to your soul, and will be a constant companion to you. Your training begins tomorrow." Claire smiled inwardly. _At least it won't be just me and her,_ she thought solemnly to herself. Claire walked into the Wizard's Tent, moved over to the bed, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. The day had worn her out, and she needed to get some sleep, not to mention time to adjust to sometimes having a female body.

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Elsewhere, Ronald Weasley was stirred from his slumber by a thunderclap outside his window. When he opened his eyes, he looked outside, only to realize that the lightning bolt was repeatedly striking the ground in the same spot many times over. _What in the name of the Chudley Cannons?_ Ron immediately slipped on his slippers, and went outside.

When he got to the site of the lightning strike, the continuous bolt faded. In its place, there was an elderly man who had a wizened appearance about him. He wore strange robes, which seemed to crackle with electricity. He looked up, and eyed Ron.

"Ronald Weasley," he said, his voice deep as the booming thunder. Ron stepped back before answering.

"M-me? How do you know my name?"

"I am Raiden, Elemental Lord of Lightning. You have been chosen to become a human Lightning Elemental, to help in the fight against Voldemort. Will you accept?"

"Y-yes. But what, may I ask, is an Elemental?" Raiden smiled.

"I will explain to you in the morning, but in the meantime, you should ask your sister." Before Ron could ask what he meant, Raiden had vanished in a flash of lightning as Ron felt a strange power running through his veins. He wasn't sure what it was, or what Raiden had meant when he told Ron to talk to Ginny, but he forgot about it as soon as he was safely back in his room. Ron fell back asleep when his head hit the pillow.

Unbeknownst to him, Ginny Weasley had been watching from her window the whole time. _It seems Ron will be an Elemental like me,_ she thought inwardly. _Lord Ignacio will want to hear about this…_

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**Once again, my thanks to Staria 007 for letting me borrow the premise and some of the characters from her story. If you haven't read hers, here's the link:**

**.net/s/3572024/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Curse_of_the_Elemental**

**The differences will be noticeable almost immediately.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, that was the first chapter. The differences between my story and the source story so far are as such: The "Sprites" are instead being called Elemental Lords, Old Voldie was approached by the Elemental Lord of Shadows, and Ron's gonna be an Elemental too. But what about Hermione? And who's Lord Ignacio? When does the FFXII crossover begin? And just what shape will said crossover take? All those questions and more will be answered… eventually. For now, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything aside from my own original characters, in this case meaning Noxus, Raiden, Ignacio, and other Elemental Lords that I introduce that aren't named Lakeshore.**

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Harry (or at this specific moment, Claire) opened her eyes to see a young girl peering down at her. She bolted upright, and the small girl immediately jumped back, giggling. Claire had her wand in hand in a mere moment, and pointed it at the small girl.

"Put the wand down, sis! I'm your Familiar!" Recognition struck Claire as she realized that the girl looked like a female version of what she had looked like at that young of an age. _But if she's my Familiar… then surely she can't just be a normal human child?_

"First off, do you have a name?" Claire asked. "Second, is that really your true form? A small girl?" The young girl looked at Claire, and giggled again.

"I don't have a name yet… but why don't I call myself Clover Lakeshore Potter? I can leave off one of the last names when in public! And do you want to see my true form?" When Claire nodded, Clover disappeared, to be replaced with a small, 12-inch long dragon composed purely of water. Claire was stunned; the dragon was beautiful. Clover reverted to her human form, and tugged on Claire's hand.

"C'mon, Lakeshore's waiting!" Claire smiled at her Familiar, and got up, heading outside to talk to Lakeshore.

When Claire stepped out of the tent, she shielded her eyes from the sunlight, peering at the sunrise over the forest. "That's beautiful," she said. "I could get used to seeing that in the morning…"

Just then, Claire heard a slight rustle to her left. She saw a lake, and immediately the Water Lord rose out of it, in the form of a short old woman. "I'm glad you enjoy the view," Lakeshore said to her disciple. "I chose to live here for a reason, you know. Calm and peaceful, except for the young boys kicking stones…" Claire very nearly took a step back, remembering how she was cursed for life to alternate between her original male form and this new female body.

"Anyways, Miss Lakeshore, it is time to start your training with a short twenty minute jog. It's always best to jog on an empty stomach, anyways," the Elemental Lord informed Claire, who was grimacing. She wished she had eaten something before letting Clover drag her out of the tent.

"C'mon sis! Climb on my back; I'll take you to the trail." Claire was confused for a moment until Clover transformed into a forty-foot long dragon. Claire smiled inwardly. _Of course she would be able to transform like that. Who am I kidding?_ She climbed onto the dragon that was her Familiar, and headed over to the training course.

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Ron awoke to a strange feeling coursing through his body. He tried to recall the events of the night before: the perpetual lightning bolt, the strange old man named Raiden, making Ron into a Lightning Elemental, telling him to ask Ginny… what did it all mean?

"Morning, Ron!" He jumped about six inches in the air before turning towards the source of the voice. Ron glared when he saw Ginny.

"Ginny, could I talk to you for a second? Some old man appeared last night, said he was going to make me an Elemental, and said to talk to you." Ginny giggled.

"You could talk to me about it… or you could ask your Familiar, who's perched on your bed post."

"My what?" Ron replied, before turning around. His eyes widened as he saw a strange bird with electric blue plumage that looked as if small strands of lightning were leaping off of it. "Wha-wha-what is that?" he asked, pointing a shaking figure at the bird.

The bird then morphed into a young boy, looking exactly like Ron did when he was maybe four or five. "I'm your familiar, Ron! Every Elemental has one. You can call me Marcus Fulgur Weasley!" Instantly, the boy turned back into a storm hawk, and disappeared from sight, only to reappear on Ron's shoulder. "You should look at Ginny's familiar too!"

"What? Ginny, you're an Elemental?" He turned to face his sister, and his eyes went wide when a small, blazing Pegasus was flying around Ginny's head. "You're a… a… fire Elemental?" Ron gasped, pointing at the Pegasus above his sister's head.

"Yes Ron, you dolt! This is Aidan, my Familiar." Before Ginny could say any more, a strange flash filled the room, and Ron turned around to see Raiden, the old man from the night before.

"It seems I made the correct choice, judging by the appearance of a familiar so soon," Raiden said softly. "Ronald, if you and Ginny will come with me, the two of you will be training together. Ginny, we will be meeting Lord Ignacio there." Ginny nodded, closed her eyes, and vanished, leaving Ron slack-jawed.

"What did she just do?" He asked Raiden.

"As an Elemental, you have the ability to teleport anywhere," Raiden replied calmly. "You can bypass any wards on Apparition with this method, given that they are two separate abilities entirely. For the first meeting, I will take you to the site myself, but after that, I expect you to meet us on your own." Ron nodded, gulping softly, as Raiden placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. Instantaneously, the two vanished, as if they had never been there in the first place.

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When Hermione awoke, she noticed something about her room was immediately off. She was shivering… in the middle of summer! _I could have sworn the thermostat was at a comfortable temperature…_ Hermione's thoughts trailed off as she saw her window.

The window was completely frozen over… _from the inside_. Hermione quickly whipped her head around, looking for the culprit, her eyes resting on a strange old man in ice-blue robes. He looked up at Hermione with his strange, cold eyes, and Hermione immediately reached for her wand, pointing it at the girl.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked the man. He raised his hand in a gesture of peace.

"My apologies. I should have had your Familiar introduce herself first," the old man replied.

"My Familiar?" Hermione asked, confused. The old man pointed behind her. Hermione whipped her head around, and saw a small dragon with a body of pure ice curled up on her dresser. It was maybe a foot long, and had small arms, legs, and wings. "But how…"

The Familiar on her desk stirred, yawning, and looking at Hermione with ice-blue eyes. Immediately, it flapped its wings, flying off of the nightstand before morphing into a much younger version of Hermione herself. She gasped.

"Hello! My name is Glacia Granger!" The girl waved at Hermione before turning back into the dragon and flying into Hermione's lap.

"But…"

"I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Grandius, Elemental Lord of Ice. I believed you worthy of becoming an Ice Elemental, and the appearance of your Familiar so soon merely confirms my belief. Are you ready to begin training?"

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Harry had been training all week. Lakeshore had given him a break over the weekend, and he was sitting in his wizard's tent, reading a book on Defense Against the Dark Arts when Lakeshore came in.

"Harry, what are you still doing here?"

"Well," Harry began, "I can't very well go out in public, not with Dumbledore looking for me, and the Aurors trekking across England for any signs of where I am!"

"Actually," Lakeshore continued, "you can. Think Harry. How is it possible for nobody to recognize you?" Realization sunk into Harry as Lakeshore produced a small amount of water, splashing Harry with it and leaving a wet Claire lying in the bed.

"You don't honestly want me to go as a girl?" Lakeshore nodded. Clover appeared right then and there, to try and persuade Claire to go shopping.

"Please, can we? I want to get some ice cream!"

"And while you're there," Lakeshore interjected, "you need to buy yourself some new clothes… and not just for your male form."

"Must I buy everything that a girl would wear?" Claire asked grimly.

"Last time I checked…"

"Fine, fine," Claire gave in. "I'll buy a new wardrobe, and supplies and everything. Clover, are you ready to go?"

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"It's a good thing the Muggle store attendants are so helpful!" Clover said happily as she and Claire left the Muggle mall.

"Don't remind me," Claire said, fighting the blush rising to her cheeks. "I still can't believe I had to try on all of those undergarments, just to find the right size. At least I didn't go through half the store finding the right one," she said softly. "Where to next?" Claire asked the young girl.

"Harry! Harry, is that you?" A familiar voice rang out through the crowd. Claire maintained her calm and collected appearance as a familiar brunette appeared in front of her, with a dismayed look crossing her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have mistaken you for somebody else from behind," the girl apologized.

"No worries," Claire said, extending her hand. "I'm Claire Lakeshore, and this is my bratty younger sister Clover."

"_I am not bratty!_" Clover yelled out, making Claire and the brunette giggle.

"Nice to meet you Claire. My name's Hermione Granger. Are you shopping here?"

"Actually," Claire said, "I don't keep very in tune with the latest fashion trends. Maybe the three of us can go shopping together?"

"Claire, I want to get ice cream afterwards!" Clover cried, tugging on Claire's shirt. Hermione laughed at this. "But yeah, let's go shopping! Besides, my sis has no idea how to pick out clothes!"

Hermione giggled, then motioned for Claire and Clover to follow.

_Claire, did you see it?_ Clover asked Claire through their telepathic link.

_Yeah, I noticed. Hermione has a familiar… does that means she's an Elemental too?_ Claire thought, worryingly.

_It sure does,_ Clover thought back. Claire suppressed the urge to gulp. Luckily Clover was disguised as a human being, whereas Hermione's familiar was merely invisible. Hopefully the other Familiar wouldn't be able to tell the difference…

Claire, Clover, and Hermione emerged from the store later with multiple shopping bags in hand. Claire took the backpack off of her back and started putting the bags inside. Hermione was watching in amazement, the cogs turning in her head.

"Claire, how are you fitting all of that inside your backpack?"

"It's a magically expanded backpack, and as you could probably tell I'm a witch, just like you," Claire responded happily. _I wonder if she'll be able to figure out who I am… I just hope I'm not unfortunate enough to get splashed by a sprinkler or other water!_

"I thought so! No wonder you have no idea about fashions and clothes!" Claire furiously beat down the blush rising to her cheeks.

"Claire, we finished our shopping! I want ice cream now!" Clover was tugging on Claire's clothes even harder now; she really wanted her ice cream badly!

"Alright, we'll get some ice cream!" Claire gave in with a laugh. With that, the three of them made their way towards Diagon Alley, to pay a visit to Fortesque's ice cream shop.

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The three teens never noticed the dark-skinned Auror following them, nor did they notice the Auror with the magical eye. Shaklebolt and Mad-Eye Moody had been following Hermione Granger, the unknown teenager, and her sister for the past hour and a half.

"Shaklebolt, do you find it suspicious that a week after Harry's disappearance, a teenage girl with a striking resemblance suddenly winds up in the London shopping districts, and also befriends Hermione Granger with such ease?"

"I know what you're thinking, Moody," the dark-skinned Auror replied. "I, however, am skeptical. I have a hard time believing that Potter could have disguised himself as the opposite gender. Starting fifth-years do not learn gender switching spells or potions, and the seventh years only learn the ones that last for maybe half an hour at most. This girl has been walking around with Hermione for well over an hour."

"I know that, Shaklebolt," Mad-Eye Moody replied, "but my eye is also picking up something strange on the little girl. Her level of magic is much higher than it should be at that age."

"Do you think we should report this to Dumbledore?" Shaklebolt asked, watching as the two teens and the younger girl agreed to meet back at Diagon Alley the following day.

"We most certainly should," Moody replied, recording the entire scene with his magical eye. "Dumbledore will undoubtedly take great interest in this. After all, there are no such things as coincidences."


	3. Chapter 3

**Aaaand here comes the next chapter! I believe I will be putting my subtle FFXII crossover segment in here… it's subtle, so sorry to all those who wanted Balthier to pop out of nowhere… the only characters appearing are the Espers. So sorry! Anyways, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Okay? Happy? Well, I own the Elemental Lords that don't go by the name of Lakeshore, so yeah.**

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Three and a half weeks had passed since Harry had begun his training. Most of his physical exercise was done in his male form, but for practicing with his new Elemental abilities, he turned into Claire. Right now, Claire was standing by the lake, trying to form her Elemental Weapon.

"How go your attempts, Claire?" Lakeshore had risen out of the water, and was now facing the teenage girl as she was trying to shape the water in her hands.

"I keep trying, but it's not taking a comprehensible form!" Claire attempted again, but the water she was manipulating shivered and fell back down. Claire groaned in frustration.

"It's because you're trying to make the wrong type of weapon," Lakeshore informed the frustrated girl. "You're trying to make a claymore, when you should be making a slim long sword."

"What's the difference?" Claire asked the Elemental Lord. In response, Lakeshore created a claymore formed from water, and a long sword formed from water. She let the water in the shape of a claymore fall back into the lake, showing Claire the blade.

"Oh, I see! Thin blade, slightly longer hilt… Thanks, Lakeshore!" Claire turned back to the water, focusing it in her hands, shaping it. After five minutes of concentration, a translucent sword, formed of various colorations of water, was present in Claire's hand. "I did it!" Happily, Claire tossed a rock in the air, and sliced through it. The sword passed clean through with no resistance, and the rock split perfectly in half.

"Good work, Claire. Eventually you'll be able to create your weapon without a source of water readily available, and even further along you'll be able to create a second," Lakeshore informed her pupil. "However, that is not why I came to talk with you. I am afraid, Claire, that until you gain more strength with you newfound abilities on your own, I cannot continue your training," the Elemental Lord informed the saddened teen.

"So, what am I supposed to do now? Go back to Hogwarts?" Just then, Clover appeared next to Claire.

"Claire, when can we go back to Diagon Alley? I want more ice cream!" Claire chuckled, and an idea formed in her head.

"Alright, we'll go to Diagon Alley. I guess I should present myself to Dumbledore and everybody again," Claire said, worry creeping into her voice. "Lakeshore, do you think I should tell them about the curse?"

"That, my pupil, is up to you. However, I would like you to return here over the winter holidays to continue your training. You should also keep an eye out for other students who might be Elementals."

"Alright," Claire said. "I guess I should start packing up then."

"One more thing," Lakeshore stated firmly. Claire turned around, to see Lakeshore holding a small crystal in her hand. "This is a gift, to mark your progress. Inside this crystal is sealed Famfrit, the Elemental Scion of Water. To call him out, you need only focus your energy into the crystal, and place it on the floor. A summoning circle will appear and do the rest. Be warned: Famfrit is dangerous. Only use his power in the most dire of circumstances."

"Thank you," Claire said, taking the crystal. She bowed to her mentor before going over to her tent and returning it to the form of a backpack. Claire turned around, grabbed Clover's hand, waved goodbye to her mentor, and vanished.

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Ron Weasley was practicing with his Elemental Weapon, a spear made of pure lightning. He was sparring against his mentor, the Elemental Lord of Lightning, Raiden. The two of them were exchanging blows quite readily, nearly equally matched until Ron lost his footing, tripped, and fell. Raiden took the opportunity to place his staff to Ron's throat.

"Do you yield?" The man's voice rang out like thunder.

"Not yet!" Ron replied. He waved his hand, and the spear immediately vanished from his hand, reappearing behind Raiden and pointing at the Elemental Lord's neck.

"Good call, Ronald, but you forget about one thing," Raiden said calmly before disappearing in a flash, only to rematerialize behind Ron. "Don't forget that your opponent may be able to teleport as well." Raiden lifted Ron up from his place on the ground, moving the spear back over to Ron's hand.

"The Gungnir is a powerful weapon. Use it wisely, along with the gift I am about to give you." Ron watched in amazement as Raiden condensed lightning in his hand, to form a small crystal in his hand. "This is Addramalech, Elemental Scion of Lightning. Use his power wisely, for he is not one to be trifled with." Raiden handed the crystal to Ron, who nodded slightly.

Just then, Ginny appeared, her fiery bow in hand, with a letter to Ron. "Ginny, what's in that letter?" Ginny handed him the letter, shrugged, and vanished. Ron noticed the crystal in the same hand as her bow before she disappeared. _Did she get a Scion as well?_

Ron wasted no time in opening up the letter, and his eyes widened at what he read.

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Hermione was standing in the middle of a forest in the mountains, which she had made her training site for the past month. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was overly familiar about Claire, the girl she had met two and a half weeks prior in the Muggle shopping districts, and had met up with every weekend since.

Hermione chased the thought from her mind, conjuring the ice bow that she had learned to create one week prior. Grandius had called the bow Sagittarius, even though that wasn't her Zodiac sign. Hermione drew back on the crystalline bowstring, instantly crystallizing the water vapor in the air into the shape of an arrow. She released the string, sending the arrow rocketing towards a tree.

Upon impact, the arrow completely froze the tree over, coating it in permafrost. Another arrow, and the tree shattered into thousands of pieces.

"You have done well, Hermione," a voice said from behind her. Hermione turned to face Grandius, her mentor. Glacia appeared on her shoulder in her ice drake form, before turning into a younger version of Hermione. "I believe Glacia would like to give you my gift." Hermione leaned down to look at what Glacia had held in her outstretched hands.

Hermione reached down and took the crystal, noticing the strange engraving on it.

"Sealed within that crystal is the Elemental Scion of Ice, Mateus. Beware his power; he is power-hungry and will do anything to gain more, but I believe you have the capability to restrain him. I believe you have read on how to summon beings such as Scions?"

"Just focus your magic into the crystal, and plant it on the ground. The summoning circle will do the rest of the magic for you, and once the being is either defeated or pulled back, the crystal will reappear in the hand of the caster."

"Very good, Hermione! Now, Glacia, you may want to give Hermione the letter from her friend before you freeze it." The girl pulled a letter from behind her, and handed it to Hermione before turning back into a small ice drake. Hermione saw the letter was from Harry, tore it open, and examined the letter.

_I will be at the Leaky Cauldron at noon on Wednesday. I would only like to see Professor Lupin and my two best friends, Ron and Hermione. No Aurors, and if anybody tries to send me back to the Dursley's, I will run away and never return to Hogwarts._

_Signed,_

_Harry Potter._

Hermione glanced down at the letter a second time before looking up at Grandius. She couldn't say a word before he answered the question forming in her thoughts.

"Yes, you may go. I do not believe there is anything more for me to teach you. Anything else about your Elemental powers, you must discover by yourself. I wish you luck in your battle, Hermione. Keep your eyes open for other Elementals such as yourself;they may be closer than you think," the Elemental Lord said, a slight hint of prophecy in his eyes.

Hermione bowed, closed her eyes, and teleported back to her house. She wanted to go to Diagon Alley early anyways, so she could get her school supplies. She hoped that Claire would be in Diagon Alley as well…

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Claire and Clover had just stepped out of Fortesque's ice cream parlor when Claire felt herself embraced in a hug.

"Claire, I didn't think I'd see you here! How are you?" Claire was let go, and turned around to see Hermione. She didn't see the ice drake on Hermione's shoulder this time. Maybe it was better hidden this time around?

"I'm good, Hermione! What are you doing here?"

"I'm picking up some school supplies before going to meet an old friend, who dropped off the face of the earth for a month, and now I get to give him a piece of my mind!"

"I'm sure he'll get what he deserves," Claire said, tensing up slightly at Hermione's not-so-friendly tone when saying this.

"Claire, can we get some ice cream?" Clover was tugging on her clothes again, and acting just like a little girl her age would.

"C'mon Claire, let's go shopping, and get your sister some ice cream while we're at it!" Hermione grabbed Claire by the wrist, and the three girls went off to buy what it is they needed.

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After they had all finished up with there shopping, Claire and Clover had returned to the Leaky Cauldron, where Claire went into the bathroom, changed, and reverted to male form. Harry emerged from the bathroom, spying his Familiar on the bed, cradling the crystal that held Famfrit in her hands.

"Clover, give me that. I don't want you accidentally calling out a dangerous Scion."

"Fine, but only if you give me two bowls of ice cream next time we can get some!"

"Clover…"

"Fine!" Clover got up, went over to Harry, and gave him the crystal. Harry slipped the crystal into his pocket, changed the color of his backpack/wizard's tent from a vivid blue to a dull grey, and put it on his back.

"Clover, no matter what, do not turn me into a girl while I'm saying hello to my old friends, ore there will be hell to pay."

"Only if you give me two bowls of ice cream!" the little girl said, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"I'll make it three if you don't cause any problems at all for the next month or so, okay?" Clover nodded, transformed into her water dragon form, wrapped herself loosely around Harry's neck, and went invisible. Harry stepped out the door of his room, and went down to the parlor of the Leaky Cauldron

_Don't worry bro, nothing bad is going to happen! Just relax!_ Clover thought to Harry.

_I wish I could, but… hey Clover where are you going?_ Harry couldn't get a response, as he was enveloped in a bear hug. After seeing who it was, Harry drew in barely enough air to speak.

"Remus… I… can't… breathe!" Remus Lupin immediately pulled back, drew in a sharp intake of breath, and began yelling at Harry.

"_Harry James Potter_, how dare you vanish for an entire month without so much as giving any notice as to where you are! Do you have any idea how worried all of us have been about you?!" Harry didn't get a chance to answer, as a brown-haired witch and a red-haired witch simultaneously came up and hugged him.

"Harry, where on earth have you been?! I've been worried sick, and so have Ron and Ginny!" Hermione informed her friend, who was still stunned. He felt himself be turned around by Ginny, who embraced him in another strong hug. As soon as Ginny pulled back, Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun, and turned to face Ron Weasley.

"Blimey, mate! After seeing how we all reacted, I'm afraid my mum may have passed on the Weasley family curse!"

"Weasley… family… curse?" Harry asked, somewhat scared.

"It's the reason there's such a huge age gap between Percy and Bill," Ginny answered. "The curse says that the wife of a Weasley will become so enraged at something that whoever caused her anger will drop dead!" Harry took a gulp.

"But that's just a lie to keep Fred and George in line, right?"

"Wrong," Ron replied, frowning. "I saw two headstone markers that had the names of two Weasleys, born the same year, died the same year. It certainly answered the question of why there's such a huge age gap between Bill and Percy."

Harry drew in a slow breath, before Remus spoke up again.

"Perhaps we should get to Grimmauld Place? There, we can meet everybody else. Dumbledore, Mrs. Weasley, and Harry's future guardian are all waiting there."

"Wait, my future guardian?" Harry choked out. "Who will that be?"

"Who it should have been instead of the Dursleys," Remus said. "Now come along; I can't use side-along apparition to take all of you at once, so we'll need to take the Knight bus. Are we ready?"

Harry wasn't given the chance to respond. Remus had already called the Knight bus, and they were being piled in.

_I hate this bus,_ Harry thought.

_Sure you don't want me to turn you into Claire so you can make a quick getaway?_ Clover thought to the unsettled teen.

_Don't even think about it, Clover, or no ice cream until the winter holidays!_

The Knight bus lurched into motion, thwarting any attempt by Clover to respond to Harry's threat. The bus sped along the streets of England, and was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Time for chapter 4! No, the curse isn't found out… yet… maybe it is… okay, I haven't written the chapter yet so how can I know?**

**Disclaimer: I own… well, nothing. *Fails to bribe J.K. Rowling into handing him the rights to Harry Potter* Damn.**

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Harry got off the Knight Bus, relieved to see that everybody was at Grimmauld Place. He had occupied himself with wondering why he couldn't see Hermione's Familiar this time, then believing that it was the same reason none of them could see Clover: their power had grown, thus they were able to conceal themselves more effectively.

The five of them walked into Grimmauld Place, Sirius' magically hidden family home, and Harry was immediately smothered in a bone-shattering hug from Molly Weasley.

"Mrs. Weasley… can't… breathe!" Molly drew back, before giving an almost identical performance to that of Remus mere minutes before.

"_Harry James Potter_, how dare you vanish for a whole month without telling us where you were! Did you have any idea how worried we were?!"

"Well if she could put two and two together one of you would have known where I was," Harry mumbled, instantly covering his mouth after he realized he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"And who, pray tell, would that be: me, Hermione, or Ginny, since you oh so stupidly said she?" Molly, Ginny, and Hermione all had their hands on their hips, glaring venomously at Harry. He glanced his eyes over at Hermione, a confused expression instantly spreading across the girl's face.

"Wait, how could _I_ have known where you were? I didn't see you all month!" Hermione yelled. "What kind of joke is this, Harry?"

"Would you kindly explain where that ice drake of yours went off to, Hermione?" Harry answered calmly, an expression of horror crossing Hermione's face.

"Ice drake?" Ron asked, bewildered. "Does that mean that—"

"Yes, Ronald," Ginny cut him off. "It does."

"Would you four please explain what you're talking about?" Remus cried out, confusion showing in his eyes.

The four teens didn't answer. Instead, they all went into a different room of Grimmauld Place, and Hermione placed a silencing charm on the door. She turned to the others. "Everybody, show your Familiar."

Harry held back a gasp as the ice drake appeared on Hermione's shoulder. Above Ginny's head, a small, blazing Pegasus came into being, and a storm hawk appeared on Ron's shoulder.

_Clover, show yourself,_ Harry thought to his Familiar. Instantly, Clover appeared, a small water dragon by Harry's left shoulder.

"Well, now this is certainly interesting," Harry commented to the group, all somewhat shocked at seeing each other's Familiars. "Now, Hermione, can you guess how it is you saw me during that month?" Harry asked, fighting the blush rising to his face, as Hermione was busy figuring out his new secret.

"I know that look!" Ron interjected. "Harry only gets that look when he's hiding something really embarrassing! Am I right?" Hermione instantly understood the meaning, and all color faded from her face.

"Harry… you can't mean that… you were—"

"Don't laugh, Hermione. Bloody curse…"

"Would somebody please tell me what's going on? I'm sure Ginny would like to know too!" Ron demanded, stomping his foot on the ground.

"Harry, do you mean to tell me you're inflicted with a Gender Bender Curse?" Harry nodded, and all three of his friends' jaws dropped. "But, if that's true," Hermione continued, "how is it you're male right now?"

"It's temporarily reversible," Harry stated flatly as Clover came over to him and wrapped around his neck. He felt a surge go through his body as he transformed, and heard a gasp from all three of his friends. Clover unwound from the teen's neck, leaving a very angry Claire.

"You mean that Claire was Harry this whole time?" Hermione said, face completely white.

"Wait, does that mean Harry's actually a girl?" Ron questioned. Claire went over to her friend, and smacked him upside the head. "What was that for? You're just as moody as a normal girl!"

"Gee, Ron, I can't guess why," Ginny said, upset at her slightly sexist brother.

"No, Ron, I'm normally a boy, but contact with water turns me into a girl," Claire informed a group of startled teens. "I accidentally angered the Water Elemental Lord, and before I could explain myself she cursed me. Just imagine how I felt when I woke up and realized that I'd been turned into a girl," Claire said, grimacing at the memory.

"Glad it wasn't me," Ron said. "Instead, some old man appeared outside and told me he wanted me to be an Elemental."

"I started training to be one after my second year at Hogwarts," Ginny stated excitedly, before cringing under the death glares of three older teens. "Okay, I'm sorry I didn't tell you!"

"Ron, yours wasn't that bad. I just woke up one morning to see my Familiar there, and an old man who had frozen my room over." Everybody looked at Hermione like she was crazy. "What?"

"That Elemental Lord must have been one hell of a pervert," Claire said quietly. Ron paled as Ginny giggled. "What? None of you had it as bad as me; just think about the embarrassment I've been going through during the past month!"

"That's right," Hermione mulled quietly. "You probably had to buy a whole new wardrobe, learn what size undergarments you need, and… Har—er, Claire, please tell me you read about your newfound feminine needs, so I don't have to explain it to you?" Claire shook her head.

"What feminine needs?" Hermione and Ginny groaned before dragging their now female friend off for a slightly disgusting and hardly enlightening explanation.

***********************************************************

Ron had just finished explaining to everybody present (Remus, Sirius, Dumbledore, the rest of the Weasleys) about Elementals, Harry's curse, and anything else he found relevant when a very disgusted Harry burst through the doorway to the parlor.

"That is one conversation I'm now wishing I didn't have," Harry sputtered out as Hermione and Ginny came in, laughing their heads off at Harry's reaction to learning about his female form's needs. "Why me?"

"Because you shouldn't kick stones blindly in the dark, Mister Potter, or should I say Miss Lakeshore?" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye, pointing his wand at Harry. "_Aguamenti!_" A small burst of water shot out of Dumbledore's wand, dowsing Harry as he felt the transformation take place. Everybody who hadn't already witnessed it gasped as they saw Claire standing in boy's clothes, dripping wet.

"Thanks a lot Dumbledore, now I need to go change!" Claire stormed off to her room, and came down five minutes later in girl's clothes, much to the amazement of Sirius.

"Harry, err, Claire, which gender are you going to be dating, boys or girls?"

"Sirius Black, get your head out of the gutter! Just because I turn into a girl upon contact with water doesn't mean I'm going to start dating boys! I'm only going to date girls, thank you very much." Sirius let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Thank god, I don't have to worry about you getting yourself pregnant."

"That's perverse, Sirius! _Aguamenti!_" Claire cast the spell wandless, and created her watery long sword. She ran over to Sirius, who jumped off the couch and morphed into his Animagus form just before Claire slashed it in two. "Get back here!"

Everybody else in the parlor merely laughed. Dumbledore broke the silence once everybody had had their fill of humor. "I will have to ask Harry whether I should reveal his Claire persona to the rest of the students in Hogwarts. I am also worried about these Elemental powers… if the Elemental Lords truly exist, then I most sincerely hope that Voldemort has not been approached by one of them." Everybody echoed Dumbledore's concern, as they waited for Claire to return from chasing a shaggy black dog around Grimmauld Place.

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Voldemort was brooding in his lair once again. Noxus, the Elemental Lord of Shadows, had not yet visited him. He had murdered twenty Muggles, another dozen Muggle-born wizards, and converted more wizards into Death Eaters. What was he doing wrong?

"The better question, Tom Riddle, is what aren't you doing enough of?" Voldemort stood up with snake-like reflexes, pointing his wand at the figure before relaxing upon seeing Noxus. "You still have not proven your worth, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Until I see what I am looking for in you, I can not bestow my power upon you. And at the rate you're going, you shall never see an inkling of the power of the shadows," Noxus stated, throwing his head back in laughter.

"How dare you mock me! _Sectumsempra!_" Noxus allowed himself to be hit by Voldemort's curse, and his body was torn to shreds. Voldemort's eyes widened as the very shadows themselves seemed to replenish and heal the wounds on the Elemental Lord's body.

"You still have much to learn, Tom. When I return next, if you have not proven your worth, I will have no other choice than to make you my subordinate so that I can take over the wizarding world myself." With that, Noxus vanished into the shadows again, his cackle echoing off the walls, leaving Voldemort staring blankly at the spot where once stood a being infinitesimally more powerful than he.


End file.
